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Mound basking?: |
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Marsh Member Joined: 01 Nov 2008 No. of posts: 5  View other posts by Marsh |
Posted: 01 Nov 2008 In a reply to another post I mentioned mound basking and wonder if any others have seen this. I only know it from one group of VB at one hibernation spot in Surrey (long since gone), and just feel I can't be the only person to have seen it. Four or five adders lie coiled in a pile, one on top of the next, basking. Every so often one would remove itself from a lower spot in the pile to regain the top spot. I guess there was some warmth advantage to the pile effect, which would only leave the top specimen in direct sunlight. Just to make it clear, image an adder basking in a tight circular coil, take four or five and plop them on top of each other - make sense? Anyone else seen this, would love to know?
Marsh |
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Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar |
Posted: 02 Nov 2008 Hi Marsh, Yes, I've seen this a number of times, but not with as many as five animals. Three is the most I have seen doing this. As you say it is different from the gathering of animals when lying out, the animals are much more tightly coiled, like a mini-skyscraper. At Hindhead, there is one particularly good basking spot, so I assumed this was 'competition' for sunlight. However at Ash where I have seen the same occurrence, there were 'apparently' other basking spots available. Tony may have some views on this, although as we know, Adders are very sociable animals. Steve Langham - Chairman 
Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG). |
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Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 03 Nov 2008 Is this the kind of thing?: 
(photo taken in Co. Durham in April 2006). |
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armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata |
Posted: 08 Nov 2008 Have also mentioned this in another recent thread. I have usually refered this as stack basking. usually happens when first emerged prior to local dispersal to surface dens when even then three individuals may share the same spot. 'I get my kicks on Route 62' |
- Mound basking? |